Saxony's AfD state leader is leading his party into the state elections on September 1 as the top candidate. At the state party conference in Glauchau, the 59-year-old received almost 92 percent of the valid votes. There was no opposing candidate.
In his candidacy speech, Urban criticized high electricity prices, low pensions and low economic growth, "climate fuss" and the broadcasting fee. He called for a "blue turn" towards a patriotic policy in Germany, which should come from Saxony. Blue is the color of the AfD. The aim is for his party to be the state's prime minister in the future.
The qualified hydraulic engineer has been chairman of the AfD in Saxony since 2018 and also chairs the state parliamentary group. In 2019, the party came second behind the CDU (32.1 percent) with 27.5 percent, but was recently ahead of the Christian Democrats in most polls. At the end of 2023, the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the AfD state association as a "confirmed right-wing extremist movement".
The party has set aside four days to draw up its state list. Up to 75 places on the list are to be voted on by Sunday. There is no list proposal from the state executive committee.
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